Control and/or drive device for a flying body

ABSTRACT

Control and/or drive device for a flying body for ejecting hot gas streams of a combusted fuel combination of at least a first and second component. Device includes a first hollow chamber body structured and arranged to contain first component, a second hollow chamber body structured and arranged to contain second component, a controllable fuel valve arranged between first hollow chamber body and second hollow chamber body to control feed of first component to second hollow chamber body, and a plurality of outlets structured and arranged to eject respective hot gas streams for influencing a flight path of flying body. Second hollow chamber body is formed as a combustion chamber for combusting the at least first and second components within second hollow chamber body to generate respective hot gas streams, and plurality of outlets are connected to the second hollow chamber body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of GermanPatent Application No. 10 2004 045 855.3 filed Sep. 20, 2004, thedisclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a control and/or drive device for aflying body for the ejection of a hot gas stream by combustion of a fuel(propellant) combination.

2. Discussion of Background Information

Such a control and/or drive device is used for example in a so-calledDivert and Attitude Control System, which serves to control a flyingbody during a final approach to a target. For example, a Divert andAttitude Control System is used in order to control a flying body, forexample in the final approach to a target. Control and/or drive deviceshitherto used for such flying bodies are basically realized with twodifferent drive variants.

The first variant is a so-called solid-fuel drive, in which the driveunit is charged with a solid, pulverulent or paste-like fuel forinfluencing the flight path of the flying body. A conventional structureinvolves arranging the whole fuel supply, generally in the form ofrod-shaped or tubular fuel batches arranged in parallel, in acylindrical combustion chamber, where the fuel supply is ignited andalso combusted. With such a drive concept it was hitherto extremelydifficult to control the combustion of a solid-fuel drive once it hadbeen ignited, to stop an ignition once it had been initiated, or even toreignite the fuel batch. For this reason the procedure adopted hithertowas to combust the whole fuel supply and/or to charge oppositelyoperating deflection nozzles with an identical gas stream so that thedeflection nozzles cancel one another out and an undesirable change inflight path is thereby prevented. However, such a procedure results in acomparatively large loss of fuel during the mission and leads thereforeto a poor utilization of the fuel. On the other hand the use of asolid-fuel drive has specific advantages, in particular its relativelysimple structure, uncomplicated handling, constant readiness for use, aswell as the comparatively low toxicity.

The second variant for realizing a drive unit described above is aliquid-fuel drive, for example based on a complex hypergolic binarysubstance drive. Such a liquid-fuel drive obtains its thrust from thecombustion of liquid propellants and is in principle more complicated asregards structure than a solid-fuel drive described above. Liquid-fueldrives are however very widely used in space travel on account of theirgenerally longer combustion times, their thrust which can be accuratelycontrolled, the problem-free start-up and shutdown, as well as theirhigher energy content. A serious disadvantage of a liquid-fuel drivehowever is the toxicity of the fuels.

EP 1 173 668 B1 describes a rocket drive arrangement with a drive systemthat comprises a plurality of eccentrically arranged rocket propulsionunits, in which each of the propulsion units has its own combustionchamber. Each of these propulsion units can be ignited independently ofthe others. To achieve combustion in a combustion chamber a combustionreaction is initiated between a liquid oxidizing agent and a fuelcomponent. This component comprises granular solid fuel componentsstored in the respective combustion chambers of the hybrid rocketpropulsion units.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a compact control and/or drive device fora flying body that enables fuels to be used that are not critical asregards toxicity. Moreover, the present invention realizes a low-lossdrive and a low-loss control for a flying body.

According to the invention, a control and/or drive device for a flyingbody includes a first hollow chamber body, which contains a firstcomponent of a fuel combination that is in liquid or gaseous form, and asecond hollow chamber body, which contains a second component of thefuel combination that is in solid or paste-like form. The first hollowchamber body and the second hollow chamber body are connected to oneanother via a controllable fuel valve in order to control a feed of thefirst component to the second hollow chamber body. A plurality ofoutlets are provided for the ejection of a respective hot gas streamthat is suitable in each case for influencing a flight path of theflying body, and the second hollow chamber body is designed as acombustion chamber for the combustion of the first and second componentsof the fuel combination when fed into the second hollow chamber body inorder to generate the respective hot gas streams. The outlets for theejection of a respective gas stream are connected to the second hollowchamber body and, thus, to the outlets of the joint combustion chamber.

The control and/or drive device according to the invention for a flyingbody comprises a first hollow chamber body, in which is arranged a firstcomponent of a fuel combination, the first component being liquid orgaseous. A second component of the fuel combination, which is solid orpaste-like, is arranged in a second hollow chamber body. The firsthollow chamber body and the second hollow chamber body are connected toone another via a controllable fuel valve in order to control a feed ofthe first component into the second hollow chamber body. A plurality ofoutlets for the ejection of a respective hot gas stream are provided,which are in each case suitable for influencing a flight path of theflying body. The second hollow chamber body is designed as a combustionchamber for the combustion of the first and second components of thefuel combination when fed together in the second hollow chamber body, inorder to generate the respective hot gas streams. The outlets for theejection of a respective gas stream are connected to the second hollowchamber body acting as a common combustion chamber to the outlets.

A very compact hybrid or alternatively reverse hybrid concept is thusemployed in the invention, which combines in a compact manner theadvantages of the two types of drive, namely solid-fuel drive andliquid-fuel drive, mentioned above. At the same time a fuel combinationthat exhibits no toxicity or only a very slight toxicity can be employedby using suitable components. Furthermore advantageous components of thefuel combination are used that permit a reignition of the combustion inthe second hollow chamber body after extinction of the combustion, ifthe fuel valve is reopened. For this purpose it is necessary to provideonly one fuel valve and in each case only one hollow chamber for thestorage of the respective component of the fuel combination.

The control and/or drive device according to the invention provides animproved mission profile of a flying body, in particular a guidedmissile, since the combustion in the second hollow chamber body can bestopped as required by a central control unit and can be reignited asrequired. An ignition or reignition of the combustion in the secondhollow chamber body, the so-called combustion chamber, is initiated byfor example a laser or the like. The combustion can be interrupted bycentrally controlled closure of the fuel valve by interrupting the feedof the liquid or gaseous component. In this connection the regulation ofthe fuel valve is effected depending on the system and missionrequirements.

Preferably the control and/or drive device according to the invention ispart of a Divert and Attitude Control System of a flying body, inparticular a guided missile, by which an approach of the latter to apredetermined target can be controlled. Applications of the controland/or drive unit in satellites and carrier rockets are also possiblehowever.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention a liquid orgaseous oxidizing agent that is essential for combustion, for example inthe form of liquid oxygen, fluorine, nitric acid or nitrogen peroxide,is arranged in the first hollow chamber body. A solid or paste-likefuel, for example in the form of polyethylene or lithium aluminumhydride, is arranged in the second hollow chamber body, i.e. thecombustion chamber. In this connection pure polyethylene or alsopolyethylene mixed with a certain percentage of an oxidizing agent canalso be arranged as solid or paste-like fuel in the combustion chamber.Although this form of fuel contains a minor proportion of an oxidizingagent in a mixture, this is however not sufficient for a combustion.Combustion is possible only under the addition of a separate oxidizingagent from the first hollow chamber body. Such a fuel combination, inwhich the fuel is present in liquid or paste-like form and the oxidizingagent is liquid or gaseous, is a so-called hybrid fuel combination.

In a further embodiment of the invention a reverse hybrid fuelcombination is used, in which a liquid or gaseous fuel, for examplehydrazine or kerosene, is contained in the first hollow chamber body,and a solid or paste-like oxidizing agent is contained in the secondhollow chamber body, i.e. the combustion chamber. Ammonium perchlorateor ammonium nitrate for example is used as solid or paste-like oxidizingagent.

In a modification of the invention the second hollow chamber body isconnected in an outlet region to an outlet device for the ejection ofthe gas streams, which guides the gas streams from the second hollowchamber body into in each case at least one expansion nozzle per outletFor example the outlet device comprises a plurality of hot gas valvesthat are each switched between the second hollow chamber body and arespective expansion nozzle in order to control the gas streams. Forexample position control thrust nozzles and transverse thrust nozzles,which can be aligned in various directions, are provided for controllingthe flight path of the flying body. The combustion chamber is in thisconnection connected, for example by pipelines, to the hot gas valvesfor the position control thrust nozzles as well as to the hot gas valvesof the transverse thrust nozzles. Alternatively the hot gas valves canalso be connected directly to the combustion chamber.

Preferably the hot gas valves for the smaller position control thrustnozzles are controlled via electromagnetically actuatable valves, andfor the ejection of the gas stream are connected to a respectiveposition control thrust nozzle. The control of the hot gas valves forthe transverse thrust nozzles is preferably effected byelectromagnetically regulated hydraulic valves or pneumatic valves. Inan advantageous embodiment a piston or a membrane that is arrangedbetween a storage container for a hydraulic fluid and the interior ofthe combustion chamber, is provided for generating a hydraulic pressurefor the actuation of the hydraulic valve. In this connection the pistonand/or the membrane is/are arranged and designed in such a way that apressure produced by the combustion in the combustion chamber acts onthe piston or the membrane, which then releases the resultant force tothe hydraulic fluid.

The present invention is directed to a control and/or drive device for aflying body for ejecting a hot gas stream of a combusted fuelcombination of at least a first and second component The device includesa first hollow chamber body structured and arranged to contain the firstcomponent, a second hollow chamber body structured and arranged tocontain a second component a controllable fuel valve arranged betweenthe first hollow chamber body and the second hollow chamber body tocontrol a feed of the first component to the second hollow chamber body,and a plurality of outlets structured and arranged to eject respectivehot gas streams for influencing a flight path of the flying body. Thesecond hollow chamber body is formed as a combustion chamber forcombusting the at least first and second components within the secondhollow chamber body to generate the respective hot gas streams, and theplurality of outlets being connected to the second hollow chamber body.

According to a feature of the invention, the first and second componentscan be formulated for reignition after extinction of combustion in thesecond hollow chamber body when the controllable fuel valve is opened.

In accordance with another feature of the instant invention, the firstand second components may be formulated such that the fuel combinationhas no or only a very slight toxicity.

In accordance with still another feature, the second hollow chamber bodycan contain a pure fuel or a mixed fuel that bums only after addition ofa separate oxidizing agent.

Moreover, first hollow chamber body may contain a liquid or gaseousoxidizing agent; and the second hollow chamber body contains a solid orpaste-like fuel. The second hollow chamber body can contain polyethyleneor lithium aluminum hydride as the solid or paste-like fuel.

The first hollow chamber body can contain a liquid or gaseous fuel; andthe second hollow chamber body contains a solid or paste-like oxidizingagent. Further, the second hollow chamber body may contain ammoniumperchlorate or ammonium nitrate as the solid or paste-like oxidizingagent. The first hollow chamber body may contain hydrazine or keroseneas the liquid or gaseous fuel.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the pluralityof outlets may include at least one expansion nozzle, and an outletregion of the second hollow chamber body can be connected to outletdevices to channel the gas streams from the second hollow chamber bodyto the at least one expansion nozzle.

Further, the outlet device may include a plurality of hot gas valves,which are switchable to control a respective gas stream between thesecond hollow chamber body and a respective expansion nozzle. Moreover,the invention can include an electromagnetically actuatable valve, andat least one of the at least one expansion nozzles can include comprisesa position control thrust nozzle, such that at least one of theplurality of hot gas valves may be is controllable via theelectromagnetically actuatable valve and can be connected to theposition control thrust nozzle for ejecting the gas stream. Stillfurther, the invention can include an electrically controllablehydraulic valve, and at least one of the at least one expansion nozzlescan be a transverse thrust nozzle, such that the at least one of theplurality of hot gas valves can be controlled by the electricallycontrollable hydraulic valve and can be connected to the transversethrust nozzle for ejecting the gas stream. Further still, a piston or amembrane can be structured and arranged to generate hydraulic pressurefor actuating the hydraulic valve, and the piston or membrane can bearranged between a storage vessel for a hydraulic fluid and an interiorof the second hollow chamber body. The piston or membrane may bearranged so that a pressure generated by combustion in the second hollowchamber body acts on the piston or the membrane, which then releases aresultant force to the hydraulic fluid.

According to another feature of the invention, the control and/or drivedevice can be structured and arranged to control an approach of theflying body to a predetermined target.

Further, the control and/or drive device can be structured and arrangedas part of a Divert and Attitude Control System of the flying body.

According to still another feature of the instant invention, the flyingbody can be a guided missile, satellite or carrier rocket.

The present invention is directed to a process for controlling a flyingbody. The process includes feeding a first component of a fuelcombination into a chamber containing a second component of the fuelcombination, combusting the fuel combination in the chamber, andchanneling hot gas streams generated by the combusting fuel combinationto a plurality of outlets that eject respective hot gas streams forinfluencing a flight path of the flying body.

According to another feature of the invention, the first component caninclude a liquid or gaseous oxidizing agent and the second component caninclude a solid or paste-like fuel.

In accordance with still yet another feature of the present inventionsthe first component may include a liquid or gaseous fuel, and the secondcomponent may include a solid or paste-like oxidizing agent.

Other exemplary embodiments and advantages of the present invention maybe ascertained by reviewing the present disclosure and the accompanyingdrawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is further described in the detailed descriptionwhich follows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way ofnon-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention,in which like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a control and/or drive devicefor a flying body according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a further embodiment of a control and/or drive devicefor a flying body according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes ofillustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention onlyand are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be themost useful and readily understood description of the principles andconceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attemptis made to show structural details of the present invention in moredetail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of thepresent invention, the description taken with the drawings makingapparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of thepresent invention may be embodied in practice.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a control and/or drive deviceaccording to the invention, in which a hybrid fuel combination is used.A first hollow chamber body 2 as well as a second hollow chamber body 3,which is designed as a combustion chamber, are provided as principalconstituents of the control and/or drive device. The hollow chamberbodies 2 and 3 are arranged above one another and are connected to oneanother via a controllable fuel valve 8. The first hollow chamber body 2contains a first component 21, which is in liquid or gaseous form, ofthe fuel combination. In this connection the first component is inparticular a liquid or gaseous oxidizing agent, for example in the formof liquid or gaseous oxygen, fluorine, nitric acid or nitrogen peroxide.A second component 31, in solid or paste-like form, of the fuelcombination is arranged in the second hollow chamber body 3. The secondcomponent is a solid or paste-like fuel, for example in the form of purepolyethylene or polyethylene mixed with a certain percentage of anoxidizing agent This fuel mixture is combustible only with the additionof a separate oxidizing agent 21 from the hollow chamber body 2.According to this concept of the invention, either a pure fuel is thusprovided in the combustion chamber of the hollow chamber body 3, or amixed fuel is provided that is combusted only under the addition of aseparate oxidizing agent.

The combustion of the fuel combination takes place in the hollow chamberbody 3 designed as the combustion chamber, in which the solid orpaste-like component of the fuel combination is contained. Thecombustion in the combustion chamber is initiated by an ignition source,for example by a laser or the like. The combustion can be interrupted byclosing the fuel valve 8 that controls the feed of the liquid or gaseouscomponent from the hollow chamber body 2. In this connection the fuelvalve is controlled in dependence on the system and missionrequirements. The reignition of the combustion in the combustion chambercan be initiated in a similar way. For this purpose the fuel valve 8 isreopened in order to permit the flow of the liquid or gaseous oxidizingagent 21 from the hollow chamber body 2.

The combustion chamber is provided with outlets for the ejection of arespective hot gas stream, these outlets being suitable as a whole forinfluencing a flight path of the flying body. The outlets for theejection of a respective gas stream are connected to the second hollowchamber body 3 as a common combustion chamber for the outlets. The drivefor influencing the flight path is effected according to the principleof dynamic reaction, an accelerating force in the form of a thrust forcebeing exerted in this way. The drive and deflection effect is generatedby a plurality of drive jets that are guided through respectiveexpansion nozzles. The thrust acts in this connection in the oppositedirection to the exiting material jet of the hot gas stream.

In order to generate the deflection effect the second hollow chamberbody 3 is connected in an outlet region to an outlet device, comprisinga plurality of components, for the ejection of the gas streams. On theone hand a plurality of hot gas valves 43, 44 and 53, 54 are provided,which serve to control the respective gas stream. The hot gas valves 43,44 and 53, 54 are in each case switched between the second hollowchamber body 3 and a respective expansion nozzle 41, 42 and 51, 52. Theexpansion nozzles 41 and 42 are designed as position control thrustnozzles, and the expansion nozzles 51 and 52 are designed as transversethrust nozzles. The hot gas valves 43 and 44 are preferably controlledvia electromagnetically actuatable valves, and are connected to one ofthe position control thrust nozzles 41 and 42 for the ejection of therespective gas stream. The hot gas valves 53 and 54 are controlled byelectrically-controllable hydraulic valves 55 and 56 and are connectedto one of the transverse thrust nozzles 51 and 52 for the ejection ofthe respective gas stream. A gas stream of the transverse thrust nozzle52 is identified by way of example by the reference numeral 9. Accordingto the illustration shown in FIG. 1 this would cause the flight path ofthe flying body to be deflected to the right by the control and/or drivedevice 1. A smaller thrust is produced however by the position controlthrust nozzles 41 and 42. These serve in particular to influence arotational movement of the flying body, while the transverse thrustnozzles 51 and 52 provide for a lateral movement of the flying body.

The hot gas valves 43, 44 and 53, 54 act as shut-off and throttlingdevices, whose closure element is moved in order to control thethroughput of the hot gas stream. Via the control through the hydraulicvalves 55 and 56 the respective valve cone within the hot gas valves 53and 54 is moved by the force of the hydraulic fluid, in order toinfluence the gas stream in the pipelines 57 and 58.

A piston or a membrane 6 is provided in order to generate the hydraulicpressure for actuating the hydraulic valves 55 and 56. The piston or themembrane 6 is arranged between a storage vessel 7 for the hydraulicfluid 71 and the interior of the hollow chamber body 3. The piston orthe membrane 6 is designed and arranged in such a way that a pressurearising from the combustion in the combustion chamber acts on the pistonor on the membrane 6 so that the resultant force is transmitted to thehydraulic fluid 71. The pressure of the combustion chamber thus acts onone side of the piston or membrane, the resultant force beingtransmitted to the hydraulic fluid 71. The hot gas valves 43, 44 and 53,54 are, according to the embodiment of FIG. 1, connected via respectivepipelines 45, 46 and 57, 58 to the combustion chamber. The hot gasvalves may alternatively however also be directly connected to thecombustion chamber.

FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of a control and/or drive deviceaccording to the invention for a flying body. The control and/or drivedevice 1 according to FIG. 2 is in this connection constructed asregards the essential components identically to the control and/or drivedevice 1 according to FIG. 1. In the control and/or drive deviceaccording to FIG. 2, in contrast to the embodiment according to FIG. 1 acontrol and/or drive device is realized with a reverse hybrid fuelcombination. The first hollow chamber 2 contains a liquid or gaseousfuel 22, for example in the form of hydrazine or kerosene. The secondhollow chamber body 3 contains a solid or paste-like oxidizing agent 32,for example in the form of ammonium perchlorate. Similarly to the caseof the combustion chamber according to FIG. 1, a combustion of theliquid or gaseous and of the solid or paste-like components takes placein the hollow chamber body 3 according to FIG. 2 designed as combustionchamber, the components being combined in the combustion chamber via thefuel valve 8. A hot gas stream is generated by the combustion in thecombustion chamber, which in the present example of implementation isled outwardly as a gas stream 9 through the transverse thrust nozzle 52in order to influence the flight path of the flying body. Also, as inFIG. 1, the flying body is for the sake of clarity not illustrated. Inorder however to influence the flight path of the flying body thecontrol and/or drive device 1 is rigidly connected to the flying body.

Significant advantages of the control and/or drive concept according tothe invention for a flying body, as illustrated by way of example inFIGS. 1 and 2, are the possibility of reigniting the combustion withinthe hollow chamber body 3 as well as the possibility of using fuelcombinations of lesser or no toxicity. Accordingly the advantages ofpure solid-fuel drives (low toxicity, simple construction) can becombined with the advantages of pure liquid-fuel drives (in particularreignitability) in a compact arrangement, which is of considerableadvantage in certain mission profiles. In particular the fuel presentcan be effectively utilized, since for example in the case where it isnot intended to influence the flight path of the flying body, thecombustion within the combustion chamber can be stopped by a centralizedswitching off of the fuel valve and can be reignited as necessary.

Furthermore, a control and/or drive unit can be implemented in a verycompact form with the illustrated arrangement. Requirements as regards“green propellants” can be taken into account by a suitable fuelcombination. In this connection green propellants are fuels with a lowerhealth hazard potential, which is particularly relevant for example inthe case of flying bodies that are deployed from ships. The controland/or drive device according to the invention is preferably part of aDivert and Attitude Control System of a flying body, in particular of aguided missile, by which an approach of the body to a defined target canbe controlled. Other applications of the control and/or drive device insatellites and carrier rockets are however also possible. The driveconcept according to the invention can thus contribute to a significantimprovement of the mission profile.

It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely forthe purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limitingof the present invention. While the present invention has been describedwith reference to an exemplary embodiment, it is understood that thewords which have been used herein are words of description andillustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made,within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and asamended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentinvention in its aspects. Although the present invention has beendescribed herein with reference to particular means, materials andembodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to theparticulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends toall functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as arewithin the scope of the appended claims.

1. A control and/or drive device for a flying body for ejecting a hotgas stream of a combusted fuel combination of at least a first andsecond component, said device comprising: a first hollow chamber bodystructured and arranged to contain the first component; a second hollowchamber body structured and arranged to contain a second component; acontrollable fuel valve arranged between said first hollow chamber bodyand said second hollow chamber body to control a feed of the firstcomponent to said second hollow chamber body; a plurality of outletsstructured and arranged to eject respective hot gas streams forinfluencing a flight path of the flying body; said second hollow chamberbody being formed as a combustion chamber for combusting the at leastfirst and second components within said second hollow chamber body togenerate said respective hot gas streams; a storage vessel arrangedadjacent said combustion chamber; a membrane or piston arranged toseparate said storage vessel and said combustion chamber; said pluralityof outlets being connected to said second hollow chamber body, whereinsaid outlet device includes a plurality of hot gas valves, which areswitchable to control a respective gas stream between said second hollowchamber body and a respective expansion nozzle; and an electricallycontrollable hydraulic valve, wherein at least one of said at least oneexpansion nozzles comprises a transverse thrust nozzle, and said atleast one of said plurality of hot gas valves is controlled by saidelectrically controllable hydraulic valve and is connected to saidtransverse thrust nozzle for ejecting the gas stream, wherein the pistonor membrane is structured and arranged to generate hydraulic pressurefor actuating said hydraulic valve; wherein said piston or membrane isarranged so that a pressure generated by combustion in said secondhollow chamber body acts on said piston or said membrane, which thenreleases a resultant force to said hydraulic fluid.